“Holy shit,” he muttered. “I had problems speaking in front of the council.”
Jace squeezed his shoulders. “Aren’t you glad that I’m the one who’ll be doing the talking this time?”
“Hell yes, but how are you going to do it? How does anyone do that?”
“I’ve had the training for it, but it’s not that easy.”
You don’t say?
“It’s mostly just a matter of knowing what I’m going to say and getting it over with,” Jace said. “That’s another reason that it was important to get all the details right. If I trip up, I know how to move on and where to move on.”
“But…” Keiran shook his head. “How do you manage to do that in front of that?” He pointed out the window, aware of his finger shaking as they drew closer. The cars on the right side of their protective circle were so close to the crowd now that people had to shuffle out of the road to make room for them to pass. “I can’t even imagine it.”
“I don’t enjoy it either.” Jace frowned and caught Keiran’s hand in his, holding onto it for only a moment as if to gather his strength. “But it comes with the position. Unless I abdicate the throne, this is what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life.”
“And would you? Abdicate?”
Keiran felt the shock that pulsed through the alpha before his features even showed it. “Of course not. Never. It’s my destiny. My fate. You can’t escape that.”
“You can’t?”
I didn’t exactly want you to do that, so that’s good.
Jace relaxed a little. Their car was equal with city hall now, passing behind it and slowing down. Any moment now, they would have to get out and face that mob. “No. I think sometimes, no matter how much you want something, it won’t ever be able to happen. Life has a different plan.”
Someone opened their door from the outside and Jace got out. Keiran stayed where he was, pondering that last statement. He hadn’t been able to be a blacksmith and, as much as he had wanted to be a doctor, it didn’t seem like that was in the cards for him even now. He was the prince’s boyfriend, carrying the prince’s child. That was his fate, his destiny. And everything he had gone through? What was that worth now? His healing abilities?
“Baby, you coming?”
Keiran looked out the open door at Jace, the alpha who treated him so kindly. The alpha who loved him, who would have died without Keiran’s knowledge out there on the castle grounds. Was that the point of it all then? Had he gone through all of this, destined to save Jace as Jace had saved him?
I love him. It’s a fair trade.
“Yes,” he said, and held Jace’s hand while getting out of the car. “I’m coming.”
Chapter 20
This wasn’t the first press conference Jace attended, but it was certainly the first where he was on his own. Normally, he stood at his father’s side in an at-rest position. He was to nod and laugh and smile in all the right places while looking out over the crowd. The time would pass quickly, as he’d occupy his mind with picking out interesting people in the crowd to examine; he never listened to what his father said or how he said it, as he was present at all the practices beforehand.
And now as he stood there at the top of the steps up to the hall, hands resting on the podium in the smudged areas where so many others before him rested their hands, he wished that he’d paid attention.
Keiran stood a few steps behind him, surrounded by members of the Guard. Two of the remaining members flanked Jace. Between him and Jace stood a variety of politicians both local and foreign, as well as the mayor. The positions everyone took were all predetermined and rehearsed, as old as the podium before him.
The crowd stood waiting for him to address them, prey and predator bumping shoulders. At the bottom of the steps, held back by police, were the press. They shouted questions for him to answer, demands for poses so that they might get an interesting shot to put in some newspaper or other. He ignored them all. He wasn’t here for them. They were the only ones in the entire city who would benefit from literally anything. Everything was news, and a civil war made for a great piece on the front page every single day. The more disturbing the details, the better.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Don give him a signal. It was time. He tapped the microphone, making it squeal. The sound echoed across the entire crowd due to a system of speakers. Most of those gathered hushed themselves, and the din dropped to an acceptable level.
Jace broke script immediately. He turned away from the crowd and looked back over his shoulder at the omega he loved. Keiran flashed an encouraging smile, and Jace felt a rush of warmth pulse through his body.
I can do this.
He turned back to the crowd, ignoring Don’s angry, questioning gestures, and leaned forward slightly into the microphone. “Hello.”
He was too close. His voice became a hellish shriek even worse than the squealing of a moment before. As the shapeshifters in the crowd flinched, he watched the ripple spread through them like a butterfly effect. Leaning back, he tried again. “Hello.” And that was better. “Now that we’re all awake, I’d like to begin.”
Cue the polite laughter. Everyone was clearly on edge still, but it was a start. Jace flashed back to his conversation with the servant before and knew what he had to do.
“I know tensions have been high lately, but I can reassure you that, as your prince, I am fully dedicated to settling this matter so that we can all go back to being bored out of our minds every single day.”
More laughter, with more joining in this time. Jace straightened his shoulders. “All of you know who I am. I am Prince Jace, heir to the throne of Head Predator, and future leader of all of Dexus. For now, but not for much longer. I stand before you to tell you all that times are changing and these changes will not go unnoticed. People of Dexus, we are on the verge of war because of our differences and because of the way our society has been run. And that isn’t anyone’s fault, but is only the result of past generations doing the best they could with what they had.
“But you and I? We are different from all those who came before. Our generation thinks differently and now we must adapt to that or else the next generation after us will be born into hell.”
He pulled in a deep breath, steeling himself for this next part.
“We are all different, predator and prey. But we are alike as well. All we want is the best life and Dexus is not the way.”
His words sank in, stirring the crowd. They hadn’t quite caught on to his meaning yet. No Dexus?
“A hundred years ago, the separate kingdoms of Exis, home to prey shapeshifters, and Dantin, home to predators, were combined to form the kingdom we all know as our home. And I say that this decision was wrong. The purpose of this speech today is to introduce the idea of once again splitting our kingdoms apart.”
Cries of outrage drowned out what he would have said next. Outrage from the predators, the animals with the loudest voices and the most to lose. Outrage came from the other half of the crowd a moment later, protesting the predators’ desires to stay on the top of everything.
Jace waited for it to calm down, but he could tell from the way the Guard stood closer to him that the tension was escalating instead of abating. “Stop!” he cried. “Stop fighting! This is only an idea, a theory! I have come to discuss the benefits and consequences of this idea, and a vote will be held within a few months! The people will get to decide. Let me repeat that for you: you are in charge of your own future. Take hold of it now and listen to me while there’s still a chance.”
By this point, he had gone off script so far that there might as well not have been a script at all. Though at least the crowd seemed to be listening now, so he started speaking again. He laid out the laws they would put in place, for a passport system to allow members of the two kingdoms to travel freely between, and for a new workplace law that would make it illegal to discriminate upon any grounds. Everything they spent three solid days discussing, he put
it all out on the table as best as he could.
And he made sure to list the downsides as well, because there would always be those who accused the castle of not understanding the plight of the most vulnerable people. The new borders could cause a problem with people’s livelihoods and their jobs, and any number of other problems that were as of yet unforeseen. And when he was done speaking, with no more words left inside him, he ended it all with a closing remark that was word-for-word what they practiced. In fact, it was the only thing he’d said this whole time that followed the carefully written script and rehearsals.
“As I said before, there will be a vote. We will have polling places set up across all of Dexus, beginning immediately. When this process is done, within a few months, we will vote on a predetermined date to be announced soon. The future is as simple as checking a little box. Will you be there?”
With that, he stepped away from the podium. The crowd roared, too many voices mingling for him to understand anything. Whether they were furious or overjoyed, he just didn’t know.
The Guard crowded around him, funneling him back toward their armored car and pushing him inside next to Keiran. He slumped back against the seat, exhausted, while gentle hands massaged the back of his neck.
“You did great,” Keiran said, softly. “I never would have been able to do so good.”
Jace closed his eyes, saying nothing. He privately agreed that the crowd would have eaten Keiran alive – would have eaten Jace himself alive if they sensed the slightest bit of weakness or any of the doubt with which he was full to brimming.
“Can I make a request though?”
Grudgingly, Jace opened his eyes and looked over at Keiran. The omega scowled at him, trying to seem playful. “Next time you have to make a big speech like this, let me know beforehand if you aren’t going to stick to what was practiced. I could have spent all those hours lounging in bed, sending servants to bring me ice cream.”
I love you in this moment more than I ever have.
How could such a shy little man take it upon himself to cheer up his royal boyfriend like this? It took so much strength.
“I promise. What flavor do you think our child will be born as?”
Keiran chuckled and wrapped his arms around Jace’s stomach, snuggling their heads together. “I do like peanut butter swirl these days. If it’s a girl, we could name her Penny.”
Jace laughed now as well, clutching at Keiran. His heart swelled slightly, chasing away some of the negativity from his mind. “If it’s a boy, we could name him Van. For vanilla.”
“Rocky.”
“Moose,” Jace suggested. Keiran stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “As in, moose tracks. The one with peanut butter and chocolate pieces?”
Keiran laughed now. “You aren’t very good at this game! But I guess that might be a good idea. Like a peace offering. Maybe that should become a family tradition, to name all of our kids after prey animals.”
They laughed together, holding onto each other tightly. In the midst of so much confusion, at least they had each other.
Chapter 21
“Hey there, cutie,” Jace purred.
Keiran looked up from the book he’d been reading, annoyance flickering across his face. “Do you mind?”
Jace pouted at him. “I was talking to the baby, not you.”
Keiran felt his annoyance fade as soon as it had come. These hormones were still getting the best of him, but he felt like they had at least settled down somewhat. His outbursts of emotion simply weren’t as overpowering or as long-lived as they used to be. “It can’t really hear you yet.”
The alpha stretched out on the bed beside him, wrapping his arms around Keiran’s waist and leaning his ear against his round stomach. “No,” he breathed, “but I can hear her.”
“You’re listening to my stomach growl.” Keiran giggled.
“Oh.” Jace actually looked disappointed. “I was thinking we might have a real feisty one on our hands, with all that growling. Do you think if she can’t hear, she can sense the vibrations of my voice?”
Keiran shrugged. “I don’t know. Does it matter?”
“I want her to like me better than you.”
Clearly, Keiran wasn’t going to get any further reading done, so he set the book aside and looked down at the prince wrapped around him. “Why do you keep calling it a her?”
Jace blushed, which wasn’t something he did often. “I don’t know. I kind of want a girl. A little daddy’s girl, so I can dress her in ugly pink outfits.”
Keiran smiled down at him. “I’d be fine either way. But you’re acting a little weird. Like you do when you want something. How can I be of service, my prince? Shall I get up on my gross, huge, veiny pregnant feet and fetch you something that you could easily get for yourself?”
He felt Jace’s lips curve where they were pressed to his stomach. “No, thanks. That wouldn’t be very good foreplay.”
“Ah.” He slid his fingers through Jace’s hair, tracing the line of his fine cheekbones. “I knew you wanted something.”
“What can I say? You know me too well.”
“Do you think it’s immoral to have sex while pregnant? I mean, there’s technically a kid watching us the whole time.” Jace looked up at him, so confused and aghast that Keiran burst out laughing, holding up his hands. “I was just teasing you! I didn’t know you’d take me so seriously!”
Jace’s face slowly softened. “You really had me going. I think I need to get some payback for this.”
“Yeah?” Keiran pushed his book away and fell backward onto the bed. The position still didn’t feel the best, with all the extra weight of his stomach pressing down on him, but he did it anyway and spread his legs as well. Both of them were already naked, a habit he’d picked up shortly after they started having sex. What was the point in clothes when they weren’t really needed? It made him feel sexier, more like… well, an animal. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Oh, I think I have some ideas.”
With his head still resting on Keiran, Jace placed his hand on the omega’s thigh and traced lazy circles there with his finger. Just being touched by the one he belonged to was enough to get him going, his manhood stiffening into an erection as the lazy circling continued. The circles grew wider and wider until Jace’s palm ran into Keiran’s cock, and then he stopped and curved his hand around the omega’s length.
“Oh, yes,” he breathed, relaxing his head back against the pillows while lifting up his hips. “Give me more of that, please.”
“I don’t think I heard you right,” Jace growled. His hot breath made Keiran tremble all over and clutch at the sheets. “Did you ask for more?” He tightened his grip on Keiran’s cock and slid his hand up slightly.
Keiran gasped and arched his back, beginning to buck from the beginning surges of orgasmic pleasure. It seemed so easy to cum these days, what with all the different hormones raging through his body and making certain parts of him all that more sensitive. His nipples were hard as hell right now and he lifted one hand up from the mattress to rub them with his fingers.
Jace growled more, hot breath hitting Keiran’s tip. He didn’t move his hand again, teasing. “My baby is so hot and horny. Would he like it if I sucked him?”
Keiran gasped. “You wouldn’t!”
“Oh, I am the prince. I can do anything I like.” Jace touched his lips to Keiran’s swollen red head. “Even this…”
Shutting his eyes tight, Keiran waited to feel Jace’s mouth caressing his erection; waited to feel the hot, wet pressure of his tongue.
It never came because, in that instant, their bedroom door flew open without so much as a single knock to signal someone wanted inside.
Jace threw himself off the bed, striding across the carpet in his wolf form. Keiran watched, horrified, as the alpha prepared to attack Don, the advisor. “Jace, no!” he cried out.
Jace jerked around to the side, fangs closing an inch from Don’s shin. Hi
s tail rose up high over his back as he kept his fangs bared in a snarl, dominant and aggressive. Grabbing at the blankets to cover his nakedness, Keiran watched. Why had Don barged inside like this? The advisor knew better than that! Everyone in the whole castle knew better than that.
Don seemed unfazed for once by the scene before him. His usual expression of distaste at his prince and the prince’s servant boyfriend was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was clearly stricken with terror; he bent over in front of Jace, putting his hands on his knees and gasping for breath.
“Jace, turn back!” Keiran demanded. He climbed out of bed, a little off-balance as he clutched the sheet in front of himself. “Can’t you see that something’s wrong?”
Jace swung his massive brown head in Keiran’s direction, growling irritably. He did as was asked of him, however. Standing naked before Don, he demanded, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Don sucked in a huge breath and then gasped out, “Get dressed! Both of you! You have to get out of here and come with me!”
Jace snapped, “Why?”
Keiran didn’t wait for an answer, dropping the sheet so that he could start gathering up their clothes which had been tossed all over the room as per usual. Clearly, there was something bad going on and every second mattered. Jace could stand there and be stubborn but Keiran was going to be ready.
“There’s a resistance!” Don sputtered.
Jace just crossed his arms. He didn’t forgive easily and certainly not in a situation such as this. “What do you mean by a resistance?” Keiran came up behind him and tries to push his clothes into his hands, but the alpha didn’t even seem to realize he was there.
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